Anxiety and your Cat: What you need to know

Every person has dealt with a form of anxiety at some point in their lives. Animals can certainly suffer from anxiety as well.

The term “Scared’y cat” is used when someone is afraid or anxious about a situation, comparing them to a nervous cat. Cats can be anxious and afraid of many things, loud noises, fireworks, even certain changes in their environment as they are such routine animals, they can be fearful or anxious over certain people or other pets. Cat’s cannot express their feelings by talking so they will show certain signs and symptoms of anxiety through their behaviors and often prolonged stress and anxiety can cause develop into destructive behaviors and other serious illnesses.

What are the signs of stress and anxiety in cats?

• Furniture scratching

• Destructive behaviors

• Excessive grooming

• Sudden behavior changes

• Less social

• Hiding

• Aggression

• Growling and hissing

• Inappropriate elimination

• Vo/di

• Increased or decreased appetite

• Vocalizing

• Depression

If your cat is showing any of the above signs and symptoms, schedule an appointment with your Veterinarian to rule out any serious medical issues. If think your cat is suffering with anxiety, your Veterinarian will perform a physical examination to discuss your cat’s emotional well-being and see how you can help your cat live a better life.

What are the causes of anxiety in cats?

Cats are routine animals and any sudden changes can cause them stress and lead to negative effects on their health and happiness. Some of these stressors can include:

• Veterinary visits- It’s a well-known fact that cat’s do not typically enjoy going to the vet and it can be a stressful experience for both owners and kitty.

  • Start at home with getting into the carrier and going outside of their safe comfort zone. Then traveling in the car is often quite stressful and then all the sights, sounds and smells of the veterinary office can bring on fear, anxiety and stress for our feline friends.

  • Next time you book an appointment for your kitty try planning before your visit.

  • Don’t hide the carrier away, have it out so that it is familiar in their environment and they are ok with even using it as a bed and is a safe place for t hem.

  • Try spraying a blanket or towel with a calming pheromone spray, prior to placing kitty into the kennel.

  • When ready for transport try placing a blanket over your kennel and during transport always support the kennel from the bottom so that its less motion for your pet.

  • Place kennel safely behind the passenger's seat in the floor for more stability.

  • Remember no loud music, try playing some soft music to help calm your pet.

  • When you get to the vet office have them seat you in a cat only section or a cat only room upon arrival.

  • If your clinic is fear free the room will already have a blanket with calming pheromones prepared for your kitty to help decrease stress for them.

  • If your kitty is very reactive and stressed at the vet, they will discuss giving some anti-anxiety medication prior to bringing your cat in to give them the best positive visit possible.

• Changes in environment: New family members (human or animal) can cause stress for many cats. Start with slow introductions to new pets or people, until your cat is more comfortable and familiar with the new scents and sounds new to their safe comfort zone. Sometimes we can see unwanted behaviors when cats are fearful and stressed. Moving can also be very stressful for cats as all the sights, smells and noises are very different from what they are accustomed to. Set your pet in a separate room first with their toys, blankets and litterbox, while you move the rest of your house. Bring kitty and all their belongings to the new home and have things around that they are familiar with to make them feel more comfortable.

• Separation Anxiety- Any change in a cat’s daily routine can cause them stress as well. If your cat is used to having someone around giving them attention and suddenly changes to being by themselves more than usual, they can certainly have separation anxiety and develop depression. When you return home from being away from your cat, make some time to play with them using some of their favorite toys so they do not develop behavioral problems from being under stimulated. Have lots of toys and food puzzles for them so that they do not get bored while you are gone.

• Noise sensitivities- Most cats do not like loud noises and loud parties, fireworks and thunderstorms can cause a lot of fear, anxiety and stress for our feline friends. Try playing some calming music if your pet is fearful of fireworks or thunderstorms, some cats may also be calmer with wearing thunder shirts, which can be purchased at a local pet store.

How Can I Decrease my cat’s anxiety?

If you know what the cause of the stress;  if possible, try eliminating the stressor! This may stop the anxiety in your cat. Try a new litter box, closing the window shades, or no longer hosting loud parties in your home.

There are a lot of Natural and nutraceutical remedies you can try before medications such as herbs, Rescue Remedy, Zlykene.

Pheromone containing sprays, collars, and plug-ins can also be very helpful in reducing stress. These products mimic the pheromone cats use to mark their territory, making them feel more secure.

In some cases, your vet may need to prescribe an anti-anxiety medication to help make your cat feel calmer and be more open to other methods or reducing anxiety,

Remember, that one of the most important things you can do to minimize stress in your cat is to keep your own stress level down.

Will medications change my cat’s personality?

Just like us what medication works for one person doesn’t necessarily work for others in the same way. Between you and your veterinarian they will discuss which medications will work best for your pet. Sometimes the dosage may need to be adjusted or even a change in medication to see which one your cat will respond to best.

Here is my personal experience with dealing with an anxious/stressed out kitty.

KINDER

Kinder puts the scared into “scared’y cat,” the slightest sound or movement would cause an exaggerated reaction from her. She was always on edge, eyes wide, and ears set on attention mode. Her favorite go to spot was under the bed at night, “no touchy the grey fluffy” became her motto. She was very noise/touch sensitive. Nail trims were a horrible time for Kinder, only her front paws managed to get done; the back paws were definitely off limits!!

Kinder was introduced into my home as a kitten, around 8-9weeks of age. She was a little grey, sassy, ball of fluff. Even at a such young age you could tell that she had some anxiety/behavior issues. It was over the next month of slow introductions to her brother Jack and exploring her new surroundings that Kinder would always test her brother's patience (and mine) for sure. She was certainly a ball of energy.

Even with anti-anxiety medication before her veterinary visits, she was still a stress ball at the vet office.  She wanted affection but did not know how to receive it and was very untrusting, temperamental and moody.

Eventually the duo became a little trio when I introduced a third ball of fluff to the mixture. Kinder became a little more intrigued by this little baby named Theodore, she wanted to play with him but lacked the social behaviors and wasn’t sure how to. Everything was going well as Theo grew into a mature adult and Kinder changed her behaviors. She would be less social; she would growl and be irritable just passing the other cats.  She was not a happy cat. I had tried Pheromone diffusers, calming diets and different calming treats. The use of Feliway pheromone diffusers definitely helped decrease the severity of her mood but she still was not a happy kitty in her home.

After 1.5 years of a scared/nervous little kitty I decided to speak with Kinder’s veterinarian about her anxiety and stress behaviors. We discussed a trial of an anti-anxiety medication, to which Kinder responded to immediately. She was no longer hiding under the bed, was more relaxed in her home and her overall mood was improved. As the weeks went by she wasn’t responding as well and still having more negative days than positive. Between myself and my veterinarian at Kinder’s recheck, we decided to switch Kinder’s medication again to see if we could get her more stable in mood and make her more comfortable. Since switching medications, Kinder has been more pleasant, less nervous, more confident and enjoying her life better. She will interact more with the other cats and people, she is less reactive to sound and touch and even will curl up on top of the bed and sometimes if she feels like it you can find her sleeping on top of her favorite human, if lucky she will even let out a few purrs.